Web Wednesday: Prescribe Wellness

This weeks Web Wednesday site review is Prescribe Wellness. Prescribe Wellness is a website built to help people run a definitive search to locate pharmacies in their community, encouraging a long term relationship to be formed. Pharmacies can sign up to

Prescribe Wellness is a website built to help people run a definitive search to locate pharmacies in their community, encouraging a long term relationship to be formed. Pharmacies can sign up to be part of the Prescribe Wellness database which adds credibility and increased exposure, heavily reducing search times for potential customers. It also creates a platform for pharmacies to expand their services, reach more patients, and improve Star Ratings.

From a design point of view, the website is certainly clean, light and has a medical aesthetic. On the desktop site, there are a a series of animated videos that are a nice touch to building a deeper connection to users, giving them a strong understanding that their service is friendly, warm and welcoming. They aren’t obtrusive as they are used as background images and mostly just serve as tool for keeping the user engaged on what might be bland information if stood alone. There is also a heavy use of transitions and animations with the headings and text boxes as you scroll through the pages. Again it can be an effective way to decorate dry content.

For all the bells and whistles the desktop version of the website contains, I do feel that overall the animations and effects hinder the functionality of the website. I think that the psychology of a potential user may have been overlooked in some areas, which has created some friction with loading times when navigating throughout the site.

I know I’m just one person, but when I am using a website for search purposes I want to see results as fast as I can and if I have to read supporting information, I definitely am looking for a snappy, quick experience to find what I need to know. This is coming from someone who has grown up with computers, so for older people (who are more likely to frequent pharmacies) I would imagine they would be even more impatient with website navigation.

However, it is possible there was more focus on the mobile version of the website with the consideration that if someone is in a rush to search for something, they are more likely to use their phone than to sit down and use their desktop computer. If this is the case, the mobile version has done away with most of the animations and transitions, whilst making the videos optional to play. The navigation is much simpler and intuitive, allowing for a more seamless experience to find the information you’re looking for.

Final Thoughts

Overall I think the concept for the website is a window into the future. The past decade has been a focus on capturing data to refine searches via keywords and filters. I believe there are going to be a lot more websites carving out search capability or forming a digital bridge within niche markets.

On the design and development front the website has been executed well aesthetically, but the desktop version could definitely be improved for it’s functionality and navigation. However, I’m not blind to the fact that project briefs, deadlines and resources all play a part and if current trends continue, mobile will be eventually be the only platform that matters anyway.